How to set realistic, outcome-based sprint expectations

The Phantom Sprint — Invisible Work That Steals Velocity

Your sprint looks healthy — until a phantom dependency eats your finish line. Here’s how to find the invisible work before the demo.

Detection & prevention tactics

• Dependency board: visible KANBAN lane for external asks with owners and ETA.

• Capacity buffer: protect 10–20% of sprint for unplanned but likely work.

• Pre-planning checkpoint: 5-min readout with ops/support to surface recurring interrupts.

• Risk register: short public list of items that can block sprint goals.